Matters of the Heart
by Black Butterfly Wings
Summary: Two different onesided pairings [or so it seems] that come to a tragic ending.


Note: -points to ComputerFreak101- She made me do it! She's evil and made this the third pairing for the contest! _It's all her fault!_ -looks like a deer standing in headlights- This round's shipping is Polarshipping –sobs- Oh yeah, don't bitch if it's OC, because I really don't give a shit if it is.

Dedication: I dedicate this to Lines, Dizzy Loser, Inu Kaiba (whether she likes this or not) and ComputerFreak101

Warning: My usual warnings… except there might not be any yaoi at all –cries- (then again, it depends on the plot bunnies that bite me) Oh yeah, and irony! (Gotta love the irony)

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but I _do_ own that bullet that just killed you ;)

Matters of the Heart:

Yugi sat up in a tree a few yards from the park-bench that was occupied by his other half and his lover. He looked miserable and there were pudgy bags under his dull plum-colored eyes. He sighed sadly as he watched the two cuddle while watching the sunset over the lake.

Jou spat in disgust from the tree branch above Yugi. He watched the woman of his dreams cuddle with the Pharaoh, the very thought of them together making his blood boil.

'_How dare she!'_ he thought to himself angrily.

Yugi sighed sadly and forced himself to look away from the happy couple. Tears welled in his eyes as he silently wished that his other half would even look his way.

Without a word to his fellow stalker, he climbed out of the tree and walked back to the game shop so he could cry in the comfort of his own room.

Glaring at his former friend, Jou continued to watch him interact with the woman that wasn't rightfully his.

---(change of scene)---

Yugi splashed cold water onto his face from the bathroom sink. Eyes closed and water dripping from his face, he walked out of the bathroom and down the hall to his own room, shutting and locking the door behind him.

Throwing himself down onto his bed, he let all the tears that he had struggled to hide for so long just flow from his eyes.

'_Why does Yami love Mai? Why can't Mai see that Jou's the one that cares the most for her? Why can't Yami love me like he does Mai?'_ he asked himself as he cried.

His entire body ached with the pain he felt in his heart, every tear burning his cheeks as they fell.

---(change of scene)---

Yami sighed contently as he rest his head against Mai's shoulder.

Suddenly, a thought came across his mind. Sitting up straight, he looked over at the blonde woman next to him and wondered in silence for a moment.

"Why are you staring at me?" Mai asked him.

"I was just wondering about something," he confessed.

"Oh? What is it then?"

"Why are we sitting here?"

"Because this is where we decided to sit."

"That's not exactly what I meant," he sighed.

"Then what _do_ you mean?" she asked, cocking her head slightly.

"I mean, why are we sitting here? Why am I the one sitting next to you and not someone else?"

Looking down at the ground in what seemed like painful thoughts, Mai avoided his gaze.

"Well?" he pushed for an answer.

She looked at him in silence for a moment, before taking a breath.

"Because you protected me with your life," she answered quietly.

He looked out at the lake and thought carefully about how to reply. He sighed and looked into her eyes.

"I wasn't just protecting you, Jou was in danger. I wasn't about to let him get hurt, and I wasn't about to let him lose you."

"I was afraid of that…" she whispered sadly.

"Did you already forget that he risked his life for you before I did?" as much as he hated downplaying his actions, he knew he was telling the truth and that he wasn't the one she should be thanking.

Jou snarled under his breath and climbed out of the tree to check on his only remaining friend whom he knew was crying at home. He walked away in a rage, never hearing a single word of the conversation between the two royal-eyed lovers.

---(change of scene)---

Jou sat in the upstairs hallway of the Kame Game Shop with his back leaning against his friend's bedroom door. His head was bowed down in recognition of his friend's tears, along with his own.

"Hang in there Yugi, you'll be ok…" he said quietly to his friend inside the room. He lowered his head even further as he heard Yugi's sobs grow louder.

They both could hear the sound of the backdoor opening and Yami entering the shop. Jou gritted his teeth at the sound of the Pharaoh's feet climbing the stairs.

He tried his best to restrain himself as Yami walked past him, but he couldn't control his anger.

He leapt up from the floor and seized his former friend by the collar and pulled him off his feet.

"Your hikari is in there crying! What are you going to do about it?" Jou screamed, motioning towards the door with his free arm.

The look in Yami's eyes quickly changed from fear and surprise to anger and annoyance. Is arm quickly made contact with the side of Jou's head, knocking him off balance and forcing him to release the pharaoh.

He looked upon Jou in disgust as he smoothed out his shirt and rubbed his collarbone.

"Whatever he's crying about, he'll get over it. I have more important things on my mind right now," he snarled, walking to his room and slamming the door behind him.

As he resumed sitting against Yugi's door, Jou rubbed the side of his head. His face was red with his rage, the sobs of his friend only fueling it.

---(change of scene)---

"So what are you saying I should do?" Mai asked in confusion.

"Simple, tell him how you really feel," Yami replied with a weak smile.

Her eyes widened as she realized what this meant.

"What about you?" she asked.

His weak smile spread over his features without gaining strength.

"I still have Yugi. To be honest, he's really all I need."

This time it was Mai's turn to smile weakly.

"Yeah, I had this feeling that we weren't meant to be."

"I'm sorry, I just don't feel like we're the right ones for each other. Yugi needs me, and I need him. Besides, Jou is madly in love with you, can't you tell?"

She laughed lightly, "To tell the truth, I love him too."

"Then why not be with him? Why me instead of him?"

"Just look at you! You're strong, you're smart, you're everything he's not!"

"I'm not better than he is. I'm different, yes, but I'm not better than him."

"Maybe you're right…"

"Mai, don't chose someone because you think they're better, chose them because your heart tells you to."

Her eyes shone with tears and she nodded her head. "You're right. I'll go talk to him tonight."

"Good luck," he said as he walked to the door and left her apartment.

As he inhaled the crisp night air, he decided to walk home the long way.

---(change of observation/scene)---

Quietly the two teens stalked the pharaoh through the streets. Seemingly lost in thought, he made the perfect target.

As they hid in the shadows a few yards behind, he stepped under a streetlight to wait for the traffic to grant him safe passage across the highway.

Something about seeing him under the streetlight's glow made Jou snap. He lunged for the pharaoh and caught him around the neck before he had the chance to know what hit him.

"Jou! Don't!" Yugi cried out, grabbing his own neck in pain as Jou slammed Yami against the brick wall.

"Shut up Yugi!" he screamed back. He tightened his grip around the other's neck, cutting off his airflow. "I thought you were my friend!" he snarled, crushing the pharaoh's throat against the brick.

Yami's eyes were wide in fear and confusion.

"J-Jou! W-why are you d-doing th-" he gasped, falling silent before he could finish. His body hung limply from his pinned neck.

"Yami!" Yugi gasped, collapsing onto the pavement.

Jou's eyes widened as he realized what he'd done.

"Yugi!" he cried, rushing to his friend's side. "Oh god, what have I done?" he demanded of himself.

Even after several attempts to revive him, Yugi remained unresponsive. Knowing that both the spiky haired teens needed medical attention, he hoisted Yami up piggy-back style before picking up the smaller boy and holding him close to his chest.

Struggling with both his emotions and the weight of the two boys, he walked the twelve blocks to the hospital.

---(change of scene)---

Two hospital beds next to each other, both occupied by almost identical patients. The exception was that one didn't require a tube placed in the lower part of his neck to breathe.

The smaller of the two boys had a clearly strained expression about him, his other half unable to share such an expression due to a combination of weakness and medications.

"I'm so sorry," Jou sobbed to his half conscious friend.

"H-how c-could you…?" was the weak response.

"I don't know…I didn't mean to hurt you, I just snapped!"

Yugi opened his mouth to respond but was silenced before he could speak a word by a long, high pitched note coming from the monitor belonging to the bed next to his.

"Yami…" he inhaled as his eyes widened in pain and glazed over.

"Yugi!" Jou called out, jumping to his feet as a second note joined the first.

Crash carts were quickly wheeled in as the medical team fought to save the boys, but they were too far gone for even the experts to save.

Fatigue, along with the harsh reality of it all was quickly sinking in. On unsure feet, he headed home.

Amazingly, somehow, after wandering around in a daze for what felt like weeks, he found his way into his apartment building. As he approached his door and pulled out his keys, he noticed a note taped underneath the peephole.

With a shaky hand he took the note and read the heart stopping words. "Hey Jou, I came over to see you, but either you're ignoring me or you weren't here. I need to talk to you about my recent relationship with your friend. He made me realize that is was you I loved all along. Please call me. Yours truly, Mai."

He managed to get into his apartment, quickly bolting and locking the door behind him.

A few minutes later a terrified neighbor called the police to report a single gunshot coming from "The young ruffian's apartment down the hall".


End file.
